Today's guest! Jay S. Levy!

Please start by telling us a little about yourself, including things like education, jobs, spouse, children, pets, etc.

My name is Jay S. Levy.  My wife’s name is Louise and we have been happily married for 23 years.  Louise is a high school teacher who specializes in ecology and outdoor education. We were fortunate to have two beautiful healthy daughters. Talia is 18 years old and Sara is 14. They both love the arts, dancing, and have shown a great interest in philosophy and science. I am a writer, a social worker, and an amateur astronomer.

Vocationally, I’ve focused on homelessness, mental health and addiction issues. In particular I am interested in the effects of long-term homelessness on individuals and society, as well as ways of promoting healing and resolving homelessness. After graduating from Columbia University with my masters in Social Work during 1988, I have spent the past 25 years providing outreach and housing services to the most vulnerable among us through my work with Eliot CHS Homeless Services. Over the past 15 years I have published several journal articles, a monograph, and two books on the subject.

Tell us about your latest book and what inspired you to write it. 

Pretreatment Guide for Homeless Outreach & Housing First: Helping Couples, Youth, and Unaccompanied Adults provides intricate narratives that bring to life the challenges of the helping process between outreach counselors and people who have experienced long-term or chronic homelessness. I think this would interest social workers, clinicians, case managers, concerned citizens, or anyone with a family member or friend that needs help, but is reluctant to accept care. The pretreatment model that I offer is based on universal principles that can be applied to a wide range of people who are hesitant to accept formalized treatment. This includes elders, youth, couples, and single adults who are struggling with mental health and/or addiction issues, among other things. My focus is on Homeless Outreach and Housing First, but it can be applied to a variety of housing or living situations. When trying to help people, the importance of building a trusting relationship and good communication with an emphasis on achieving reachable goals cannot be overstated. In the end, a client centered relationship is at the foundation of our work and the various narratives throughout the book show the nuances of outreach counseling based on a pretreatment model.

Over the years, I’ve worked with many homeless individuals and have been amazed by their ability to overcome pain and suffering, while finding or creating a deeper meaning to guide their day-to-day pursuits. This inspired me to tell their stories, while sharing an approach for helping those who are most in need.

Do you belong to any critique groups and/or do you have other people read your work as you're writing it? Who's brutally honest and who's a cheerleader? Which do you prefer? 

My editor via Loving Healing Press has provided valuable guidance and feedback for both of my books and monograph. In addition, my wife Louise has been my main support and critic throughout the creative and laborious process of writing a book or article for publication.  Her critiques are well balanced and I trust her feedback to be authentic and well intentioned toward producing the best possible document. I’ve also been fortunate to have a couple of friends and colleagues offer to review my work prior to publication. In the end, I prefer a balanced critique that provides some ideas for improvement, rather than a simple affirmation that does nothing to make my work better.

Which authors have been the greatest inspiration to your writing?

During my late teens I read Naked Lunch, Junky and other works by William S. Burroughs and it helped me to find my voice and write prose about the streets, addiction, and mental illness. During my early 20’s I spent some time traveling cross country, while reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle maintenance by Robert M. Persig, as well as Neitzsche’s Gay Science. Those books had a profound effect on both my writing and life. Over the past few years I’ve enjoyed numerous books by Malcolm Gladwell and Jon Kraukauer.  I love the way their non-fiction stories invite me to reflect more deeply on the world of interpersonal psychology and why people do the things they do. Finally, Timothy Ferris is my all-time favorite science writer on the world of astronomy.  I love the way he starts every chapter with a quote to help prepare the reader to reflect more deeply on what will follow and I have incorporated this method into my own writing.

Do you outline before you write or just dive head-first into a manuscript? Do you maintain a schedule for writing, or is it more haphazard?

I always begin with an outline, but I am never afraid to stray from it. The characters within my stories often bring me to unexpected places and remind me of other real life events that I originally did not plan to incorporate. I love writing late at night… I have a romanticized notion of burning the midnight candle, while creating great work. In reality, I usually begin after my family goes to bed for the night… about 11pm and I normally turn on some background rock music from the 60’s to help spur my creativity.

What are the best and worst parts of writing a book?

The best is when you get into a creative zone. The words just flow, while time appears to stand still. That is when I become confident that my writing is meaningful, reflective, and that others will want to read what I have written. I really love how the process of writing can lead to new and deeper insights that can transform the author. It becomes its own avenue or method (epistemology) toward discovering what is really important, effective, and truthful.  Great writing provides a new and exciting perspective on life and invites others into that world. 

The worst part is the lengthy editing process, which leads to endless questions and revisions in the pursuit of fully communicating with others exactly what I want to say. One of my methods toward measuring how well I do this is to wear different hats when reading through a manuscript. I pretend that I am someone else with a very different perspective and take on the role of devil’s advocate. I then challenge myself to revise the manuscript in a way that is more accessible to those who may initially disagree with my ideas and values. I constantly challenge myself to find a common language to make my writing more accessible to a wider audience, while remaining true to my meaning and newly found perspective.

When you go to the zoo, which animals do you visit first?

I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to a zoo, but Louise and I do spend a great deal of time going for long walks in the woods and birding. I am very pragmatic when visiting a zoo.  I begin wherever the animals are at and I am open to whatever I encounter.

What are the top 5 titles in your Netflix queue? (Be honest.) Or if you don't have a Netflix queue, which books are on your bedside table? (Again, be honest.) 

Well… I just finished reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy and I am looking forward to revisiting Plato and Socrates by reading the Apology, Crito, and Phaedo dialogues. I love philosophy and I am anxious to learn more about linguistics and/or philosophy of language.  This is very important to me because communication is the basis of forming a trusting relationship and it is our main tool for successfully helping others.

Do you prefer to read ebooks or print?

I definitely prefer a good old fashion book.  There is something special and enjoyable about actually holding the book in your hands, while flipping through the pages.  This is not meant to discount the multiple advantages that ebooks have to offer such as saving space and providing the option to enlarge the type for a more comfortable reading experience. 

What do you enjoy doing, apart from writing?

I enjoy hiking, stargazing, reading books, and traveling to new places to meet interesting people, as well as reflecting on life with others at a local café.

Where is your favorite place in the world?

I want to be under a clear dark sky full of stars with my telescope- pure heaven!

Do you have any advice for people who want to write a book?

Choose a subject that you are passionate about and go to town with your writing and research. I think it is important to give yourself permission to let the words fly and to save the real critique and editing for much later in the process. This helps me to get past writer’s block and provides lots of material to mold into some quality output.